A recent announcement from EA detailed changes on the way for users of it’s digital download service, Origin. The biggest change amounts to a renaming of accounts from Origin Accounts to EA Accounts. This is likely being done in advance of a rebranding or restructuring of the service that has been a long time coming. Although no specifics have been given as of yet by EA. Origin has been fighting an uphill battle since it’s start in 2011 against Valve for a share of the digital distribution market. They previously held an advantage in that Origin offered refunds, something Steam has now started offering as well. It will be interesting to see that changes this announcement will lead to in the coming weeks.
In 2014 EA announced the service would cease selling boxed copies of games, reducing their overhead. It’s likely that more streamlining of the service is on the horizon. With the recent bankruptcy of Desura’s parent company, and the entrance of the Galaxy client from GOG it’s shaping up to be an interesting year for PC Gaming and digital distribution.